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 Choi Yang-guk (Korean restaurateur)
Born in 1973. He had been engaged, prior to establishing his own business in 2006, in various fields such as promoting activities for young Korean residents of Japan to get used to the Korea’s ethnic custom, working as a translator for professional baseball players, or developing his career under employment of a large trading firm. He founded the company “Glomar Links”, and opened the restaurant “Edo Gyuyaki – Karaya” in Shimbashi, Tokyo, in March, 2008. His ambition is to extend his restaurant business abroad. |
Choi Yang-guk (Korean restaurateur)
The restaurant “Edo Gyuyaki – Karaya” is decorated by latticework on the ceiling and ink paintings hung on the walls so elegantly though situated right in the busy commercial town of Shimbashi in Tokyo. We wonder how the Korean food, served and tasted at the restaurant in such Japanese atmosphere, is perceived by customers. In this connection, we asked Mr. Choi Young-Kok, the owner of the restaurant, what is on his mind by assimilating the Japanese culture and the Korean cookery as seen there.
Sitting at a dinner table, I learnt the way to respect harmony in the Japanese culture“This is the liqueur….the liqueur is produced as a result of exchanging the Japanese and Korean cultures,” he said, while showing us the legendary beverage ‘makgeolli’ named “Shungyoku-no-shiro”. This was originally an unlicensed liqueur made by Baek Chun-ok, the second generation Korean resident of Kanagawa prefecture in Japan. The hidden story behind this is that his father had been producing it, which had to be thrown away every time the police raided. Mr. Baek determined to introduce the product openly some day and started production of makgeolli legitimately as a commercial product at Suehiro Brewery in Fukushima prefecture in the summer of the year 2000.
Mr. Choi came to know of ‘Shungyoku-no-shiro’, produced as a result of the Japan-Korea cultural exchange, and had an opportunity of meeting up with the brewmaster personally there and establishing quite a rapport with him. It was not only the ‘Shungyoku-no-shiro’, but every Japanese sake brand handled at Karaya restaurant, was directly shipped from this brewhouse. “Learning about the story of the birth of ‘Shungyoku-no-shiro,’ I was greatly motivated to serve it at my restaurant. I feel it is telling us about the history of Korean residents of Japan.” Mr. Choi was attending an international school in Tokyo, where a half of the students were returnees from abroad. He faced the Japanese culture for the first time there during his high-school days.
“It may be fustian to put it culture. I would say, for instance, anyone does not mind waiting for a while until food is carried to all, when we sit at a table together. You will beg a pardon if you want to start first. I had never thought of it before I experienced the way at the school. No one likes to wait too long till the taste of noodle gets spoilt. With that experience, I realized the lesson had value to learn about.”  A story authored by him triggered the start of Karaya
Getting on his own business in 2006, Mr. Choi started the company, Glomar Links. “It was not my intention from the beginning to remain as an employee,” he smilingly said, though he appreciated the ten-year experience in the previous career. “It’s eventually the ‘people.’ If you want to boundlessly expand your human network, the best means is to be in restaurant business. My ambition is to ‘bring happiness to the world through cookery,’ ever since I set up the company. Karaya is the first step in a visible form, to approach my goal.
“I loved samurai stories since long time ago, and was one day reading the famous book ‘Ryoma-ga-yuku’ (written by Shiba Ryotaro). It suddenly came to my mind and wondered, ‘Tough the Korean history is well known, what was about Japan during the Edo period?” He started to study it and came to learn that the people were enjoying peaceful time when the Korean delegates were traveling to and fro frequently. An idea struck Mr. Choi, who wrote a story book focusing on the activities of Korean delegates and then made up his mind to set up a restaurant following the story. It was the inception of Karaya.
Determination to send to the world the fusion of the Japanese and Korean culturesIn response to a question, he clearly answered about his future goal. “I have planned to open a restaurant in Seoul next year and others in Beijing and Shanghai the year after next, and twenty in all by 2020 around the world. It’s not merely a plan. I am definite to get it done.” Looking at a globe when young, he thought ‘he could not die until having traveled all countries around the world.’ He smilingly said to us. He has a reason for extending his activities abroad. It is not only for making true a dream he has had since young days, but for founding his ‘stronghold.’
As mentioned earlier, restaurant business is ideal to construct human network. New acquaintances with people are created when restaurants are opened at places around the world. According to Mr. Choi’s belief, business chances are within reach as long as there are people. Even in a few decades after he has resigned from business, his ideal will survive and be boosted by the people who share the same conception around the world. It is for this reason he tries to lay down his stronghold from now. As one of the means to materialize his ideal, he set up a scheme to pool tips customers offer at the restaurants run by him and contribute the fund to an NPO food aid organization. “It is a joyful process to make my effort of cultural search to be formulated in a shape. As for me, I found the restaurant business is the field I can place myself in to get it done. I love both Japanese and Korean culture. No, I should say the both dwell in myself, rather than saying I love them. I am taking pride in doing what no one else but I can do.”
Text: Written by Kenji Tsutsui Photo : Taken by Yukie Mikawa |
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